Jacqueline Evans

Jacqueline (Marquette) Evans died Thursday, December 22, 2022 at Clarke County Hospital in Osceola, Iowa. A private funeral service will be held with burial at Resthaven Cemetery.

Jackie was born in Knoxville, Iowa and raised in Des Moines. She graduated from North High School and was employed at Look Magazine before starting her family, and later, co-owner of a Christian bookstore for many years. Jackie married William (Bill) Evans beginning a 60-year happy marriage. She and Bill were active and dedicated members of Zion Lutheran Church which brought them a lifetime of friendships. Jackie enjoyed numerous hobbies including sewing, playing bridge, gardening, and beading. She loved to read, often a book a day, and named Dick Francis, P.D. James, and Mary Higgins Clark as favorite authors.

Jackie and Bill’s greatest indulgence was travel, starting out with weekend camping trips with church friends; then family vacations (2 parents, 1 grandmother, 4 children and 2 poodles) in a station wagon pulling a 16-foot trailer across the U.S. and Canada. They graduated to trips all over the world visiting Norway, Sweden, Russia, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Alaska, the Panama Canal, Latin America, Hawaii, and the Caribbean; several hosted by daughter, Karen, and husband, Michael. Visits to Long Boat Key, Florida, and a family Caribbean cruise hosted by Jackie and Bill in celebration of their 50th anniversary, remain favorite family memories.

Jackie and Bill’s greatest love was family. Family gatherings, family trips and family meals. Family was the center of their lives; it was their strength and joy.

Jackie is survived by daughters, Laurie Evans of Des Moines; Lynn Evans (Kirk Nelson) of Des Moines; son, Brian Evans of Osceola, and wife, Kathy, who was exceptionally attentive to Jackie throughout her life; and son-in-law, Michael DeSousa of Urbandale, who after recently moving back to Iowa, regularly visited with treats and tales of travel. She is also survived by grandsons, Matthew DeSousa of Urbandale, and Drew Evans of Tulelake, California; granddaughter, Becca Kedley (Thomas) of Osceola; great-grandchildren, Theodore, and Rockwell Kedley of Osceola; and brother-in-law, Harry Fritz of Boone.

Special thanks to Jackie’s nephew-by-marriage, Lee and Carol Evans, good friends Clara Mae and Jerry Dean (now deceased), Joyce Wilges, and Angela at Calvin West, who all watched over her with kindness after Bill died. Extra special thanks to the staff at Clarke County Hospital for the thoughtful and attentive care they provided Jackie.

Jackie and Bill modeled their values of faithfulness, dedication, and sacrifice for their family. With the loss of our mother, we lose a best friend, confidant, and trusted advisor. We are immensely grateful to our parents for the loving upbringing they provided.

Jackie was preceded in death by her husband, William; her daughter, Karen DeSousa; her sister, Patricia Fritz; and her parents, Elnora and George Marquette.

Memorials may be directed to Friends of Franklin Public Library (5000 Franklin Ave., Des Moines, 50310).